For the first time in 12 years, the United States Men’s National Team will square off in Mexico versus their hated rival.
Perhaps more interesting, it will mark the first time the side has played El Tri under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino. It goes without saying, but these two sides truly dislike one another. They’ve essentially been the cream of the crop in CONCACAF for the last few decades.
In recent years, Mexico has been a bit down from where they once were. With an old, aging team now pushed out, the team is relying on a crop of new players. It still feels as if El Tri is a team in transition searching for some sort of identity. Regardless, it doesn’t minimize the significance of this game for either side in the slightest.
After beating Panama 2-0 in Pochettino’s USMNT debut, a handful of players (Marlon Fossey, Zack Steffen, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Weston McKennie) left the camp and went back to their respective clubs. While it would’ve been fun to see Pulisic in this environment, getting him rest and returning him to AC Milan fully healthy is significant.
In this matchup, it will be interesting to see who gets extended time. One could envision a scenario where the likes of Haji Wright, Malik Tillman, and perhaps Alex Zendejas garner starting roles. There’s also plenty of intrigue surrounding like likes of Aidan Morris, Auston Trusty, Kristoffer Lund, Patrick Schulte, Tanner Tessmann, and Gianluca Busio. With familiarity against much of the player pool from his time in Liga MX, starting forward Brandon Vasquez certainly could be an option for Pochettino.
The match is slated to kick off at 10:30 ET. It will take place at Estadio Akron in Zapopan — a suburb of Guadalajara. For Pochettino, getting a positive result here would further endear himself to a fan base desperately seeking some positivity in the wake of the embarrassing showing at Copa America earlier this year.
